March’s AFC Professional of the Month was awarded to Prosper Simbarashe Maguchu, CAMS. Maguchu was nominated for assisting with the first anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) training-needs survey to train Zimbabwean legal professionals. He also assisted the financial intelligence unit with sensitizing reporting entities and lobbying for more professional bodies to notice the importance of AML compliance with the Law Society of Zimbabwe. A decade ago, there were no AML/CTF courses, programs or nonprofits in Zimbabwe. Maguchu decided to change that by pioneering the AML/CTF field in Zimbabwe. His efforts have defined and clarified issues in AML/CTF compliance and established the first Zimbabwean institute devoted to conducting academic and sector-specific research and development activities for the purposes of advancing knowledge in the field of AML.

Maguchu is known for staying abreast of developments in the field of AML/CTF. His forthcoming book on AML/CTF compliance is the first textbook on the subject in the southern Africa region. He also published an agenda-setting body of work on AML/CTF in peer-reviewed journals as well as several book chapters.

In addition, Maguchu teaches AML/CTF compliance as a guest lecturer at several universities in Africa. In the process, he has initiated and developed new course syllabuses on AML/CTF for undergraduate courses and professional bodies. Maguchu is currently working on establishing a local ACAMS chapter in his native Zimbabwe.

Do you have a mentor who has actively influenced your AFC career path in a positive way? Does someone in your network exemplify excellence in AFC? Recognize their commitment: Nominate them for ACAMS AFC Professional of the Month.